Military expenditure (% of general government expenditure) in Latvia
Latvia: Military expenditure (% of general government expenditure) was 8.2% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Military expenditure in Latvia, 1998–2025
Source: SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). Measured in % of general government expenditure.
Analysis
In 2025, military expenditure in Latvia stood at 8.2%. That is the highest value across all 28 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 9.8% on the previous year and up 194.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military expenditure in Latvia peaked at 8.2% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 1.6%, in 1998.
That places Latvia 45th out of 164 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 28 years of available data.
Military expenditure (% of general government expenditure) in Latvia, year by year
| Year | % of general government expenditure | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 1.6% | — |
| 1999 | 1.9% | +20.4% |
| 2000 | 2.4% | +27.4% |
| 2001 | 3.0% | +24.5% |
| 2002 | 4.5% | +48.5% |
| 2003 | 4.9% | +8.5% |
| 2004 | 4.8% | -2.4% |
| 2005 | 4.7% | -2.1% |
| 2006 | 5.1% | +8.5% |
| 2007 | 4.7% | -7.0% |
| 2008 | 4.5% | -5.2% |
| 2009 | 3.2% | -27.2% |
| 2010 | 2.5% | -21.8% |
| 2011 | 2.7% | +5.7% |
| 2012 | 2.4% | -8.9% |
| 2013 | 2.5% | +2.8% |
| 2014 | 2.5% | -0.8% |
| 2015 | 2.8% | +11.1% |
| 2016 | 4.0% | +44.7% |
| 2017 | 4.4% | +8.8% |
| 2018 | 5.4% | +24.0% |
| 2019 | 5.4% | -1.0% |
| 2020 | 5.2% | -2.6% |
| 2021 | 4.8% | -7.4% |
| 2022 | 5.2% | +7.1% |
| 2023 | 6.8% | +32.1% |
| 2024 | 7.4% | +8.8% |
| 2025 | 8.2% | +9.8% |
Latvia compared with similar countries
- Latvia's 8.2% is above the median for high income countries, which is 4.8%, 1.7× the median. (54 countries reporting)
- Latvia's 8.2% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 4.8%, 1.7× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 1.7% | 1.6% | 1.9% | 2 |
| 2000s | 4.2% | 2.4% | 5.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.5% | 2.4% | 5.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 6.3% | 4.8% | 8.2% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Latvia
- 42 Botswana 8.9% compare
- 43 United States 8.3% compare
- 44 India 8.2% compare
- 46 Cambodia 8.2% compare
- 47 Democratic Republic of Congo 8.1% compare
- 48 Kyrgyzstan 7.9% compare
More public sector data for Latvia
- Democracy, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Chief executive of the government is elected, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Elected parliament, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Universal right to vote, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Universal right to vote in practice, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Arms imports 19.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per capita 5.36 SIPRI trend indicator values per person (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per unit of GDP 0.0002 SIPRI trend indicator values per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), annual growth rate -76.19 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military expenditure in Latvia?
- Military expenditure in Latvia was 8.2% in 2025, according to SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
- What is the highest military expenditure recorded in Latvia?
- The highest recorded value was 8.2% in 2025.
- What is the lowest military expenditure recorded in Latvia?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.6% in 1998.
- How does Latvia rank for military expenditure?
- Latvia ranks 45th out of 164 countries with data for 2025.
- Is military expenditure rising or falling in Latvia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 194.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Latvia data come from?
- The figures come from SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), published as part of Military expenditure (% of general government expenditure). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 28 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Military expenditure expressed as a percentage of general government expenditure